Improvement in Cellulite Appearance After a Single Treatment Visit With Acoustic Subcision: Long-Term Findings From a Multicenter Clinical Trial

Abstract

Background: Cellulite is an aesthetically displeasing rippling or dimpling of the skin, primarily on the buttocks/thighs. A recent study showed a novel acoustic subcision device produced significant short-term (12-week) improvement in the appearance of cellulite after a single rapid acoustic pulse (RAP) treatment.

Objective: To evaluate the long-term (>52-weeks) efficacy and safety of RAP treatment for improvement in the appearance of cellulite.

Materials and methods: In this prospective, multicenter trial, female participants ( n = 42) with severe cellulite were treated with the acoustic subcision device in a single visit. At >52 weeks, blinded board-certified dermatologists assessed efficacy by correctly identifying post-treatment photographs and using a 6-point simplified Cellulite Severity Scale (CSS). Participant satisfaction was also collected. Safety was assessed throughout.

Results: The blinded panel correctly identified post-treatment photographs at a rate of 95.2%; 70.4% of participants had a >1-point reduction in the CSS score from baseline (mean reduction of 1.09). All participants (100%) reported improved cellulite appearance. Overall pain during treatment was rated as 2.4 and 0.3 post-treatment (pain scale 0-10). No device or treatment-related adverse events were reported at the >52-week follow-up.

Conclusion: Rapid acoustic pulse treatment significantly improved the long-term appearance of cellulite and was well-tolerated.

Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT#0406571.

Figure 1.

Photographs of a representative participant showing (left to right) baseline cellulite severity (CSS = 3.33) and improvement after 12 (CSS = 2.33) and >52 weeks (CSS = 1.67). (Age: 44; baseline weight: 138 lbs; >52-week weight: 132 lbs). CSS scores are derived from independent panel review assessment.

Figure 2.

Photographs of a representative participant showing (left to right) baseline cellulite severity (CSS = 3.33) and improvement after 12 (CSS = 1.67) and >52 weeks (CSS = 1.67). (Age: 37; baseline weight: 185 lbs; >52-week weight: 177 lbs). CSS scores are derived from independent panel review assessment.

Figure 3.

Participant satisfaction with cellulite appearance at 12- and >52-week follow-up visits. Participants rated their level of agreement with the statement “In comparison to the pretreatment photo, the 52-week photograph of the treatment area appears improved” compared with baseline on a 5-point Likert scale from strongly agree to strongly disagree. The 12-week data have previously been reported.